The microbial population in the air of the New York City
subway system is nearly identical to that of ambient air on the city streets.
This research, published ahead of print in the journal Applied and
Environmental Microbiology, establishes an important baseline, should it become
necessary to monitor the subway’s air for dispersal of potentially dangerous
microbes. Also, the combination of new methodologies in the study, including
fast collection of aerosols and rapid sequencing technology, provide an
efficient means for monitoring which was not previously available.
The results “are strong testimony for the efficiency of the
train pumping system for ventilation,” says principal investigator Norman R.
Pace of the University of Colorado, Boulder.